The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — April 1974
Highlights this month
- 4ThuVenus at greatest morning elongation (46° from the Sun, mag −4.4) — best morning apparition. (12:50pm)
- 15MonVenus and Jupiter in conjunction — 1° apart. (3:48am)
- 16TueUranus at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Virgo (mag 5.4). (12:38pm)
- 21SunMars and Saturn in conjunction — 2° apart. (1:13am)
- 23TueLyrids meteor shower peaks (up to 18/hr). A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
- 27SatThe Moon passes Saturn — 0.2° apart. (1:22am)
- 27SatThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (6:24am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 | 6:33am | 6:14pm | 11h 41m | 7:42pm | 5:05am |
| Wed 10 | 6:41am | 6:01pm | 11h 19m | 7:28pm | 5:14am |
| Sat 20 | 6:51am | 5:47pm | 10h 56m | 7:15pm | 5:22am |
| Tue 30 | 7:00am | 5:34pm | 10h 34m | 7:03pm | 5:30am |
Days shorten by about 67 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 7, 6:57am
- Last QuarterMon 15, 1:01am
- New MoonMon 22, 8:22pm
- First QuarterMon 29, 5:38pm
Perigee 2 Apr (368,100 km) · Apogee 15 Apr (404,700 km) · Perigee 28 Apr (369,500 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Psc | −0.4 | 5:09am | 11:13am | 5:16pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.3 | 3:00am | 9:29am | 3:58pm | Morning |
| Mars | Tau | 1.4 | 11:57am | 4:34pm | 9:11pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Aqr | −1.9 | 2:58am | 9:30am | 4:01pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Tau | −0.0 | 12:01pm | 4:46pm | 9:32pm | Evening |
| Uranus | Vir | 5.4 | 5:51pm | 12:27am | 6:59am | All night |
| Neptune | Oph | 7.9 | 8:08pm | 3:21am | 10:31am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Lyrids — peaks 23 April, radiant in Lyra (up to 18/hr). A modest shower; the radiant is low in the north-east before dawn from Victoria. A thin 1% Moon leaves the sky dark.
The solar system — April 1974
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
Open the full interactive orrery ↗ — fast-forward, pick any date, toggle the Moon and more.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 23 August 2026.